Monday, July 8, 2013

More On Driving Anxiety - Scared While Driving

By Oriel Larocque


For many drivers, once they get behind the wheel, they are totally calm and the act of driving is so natural, it becomes second nature. There are, however, those who get anxious about driving and every time they are behind the wheel, they experience different levels of anxiety. There are many ways to define anxiety and panic attacks. Most people define them as feelings of tension, fear or dread, in the absence of a direct threat or any clear justification. Those who get driving anxiety can not explain why they feel the way the do.

It is important to understand how phobias come about. Many people believe that most phobias can be genetic in nature. Although this is not the case with driving phobia, a child who sees the anxiety displayed in the parent can eventually get the same phobia. Many people who have experienced a traumatic event, can also develop a phobia. It develops as a way to avoid dealing with the situation or object that causes the fear. A phobia for driving can develop gradually over time, or it can occur suddenly.

A number of people who get the driving anxiety often find that getting off the road and stopping, will often help to calm them down. The minute they feel an attack coming on, they can pull over and calm down which often takes a few minutes. Once they are off the road, the obsessive thinking that comes with the anxiety attacks is diminished. It is, however, important to get back on the road after the attack has passed. Like with most fears, the best way to deal with it is by not giving in to the fear. The more you build up a negative experience, the worse it becomes.

It is important to recognize the symptoms of phobia in order to deal with it. Those suffering from various phobias experience a range of emotions, as well as physical reactions. The intensity of the reactions varies from those which are mild, to some which can be debilitating. Some common reactions include sweating, chest pains, headaches, tingling lips, nausea, heart palpitations, desire to vomit, dizziness and feeling faint. Many people who are scared of driving have decided to avoid the activity all together.

Some of those who experience debilitating emotions, find that they are unable to control their actions on the road as they feel disconnected. Some feel like the car is not balanced and can swerve off the road at any time. They may even feel like swerving onto the path of an oncoming vehicle, or hitting the brakes in the middle of the road. Those who feel like this should not drive until the condition has been dealt with. They can cause accidents if the condition keeps getting worse. It is important for those with driving phobia to seek advice and help. Trying to overcome a phobia without any help can be very difficult. This is especially the case if it has been allowed to go on for a long period of time.

Anxiety while driving is a mental disorder affecting both males and females. This involves feelings of immense dread, anxiety and or apprehension towards driving with no justifiable reason. Experts have shown that this condition affects about one in ten people at some point in life. Anxiety while driving falls under mental disorders known as neuroses. Neuroses are phobias that affect individuals behaviour but not their rational thinking. They may exhibit anxiety every time they sit in a car driving or not. Though it affects both men and women, women are more affected by this condition regardless of their age.

The situation can see a driver behind the driving wheel being completely unable to go on with the journey and if they are in a critical part of the journey, like on a highway or a fast lane, an accident can easily be caused. A person with a full blown panic attack will feel like fighting or taking defense against the danger that they feel is upon them in this case, driving.Driving phobia can be experienced by anyone in any age bracket. The fear is usually hidden and gradually builds up every time they drive. This is an embarrassing condition and if one suffers from it, they find it difficult to tell their friends and relatives about it. a person with phobia may exhibit anxiety reactions during other times other than only when behind the vehicle's steering wheel. They may have sleepless nights or flashbacks about a past event that regards driving.

Causes of phobia are not fully known but it is believed that any fear is experienced after the situation was experienced before and the person felt fearful and what they feared actually happened. Phobias are not mere extreme fears but go beyond this to become avoidances. People with a phobia such as a driving phobia will avoid driving altogether.Driving phobia is a mental disorder that can be self managed or treated with the assistance of a professional expert. It may take a long period to overcome the fear or it may take a relatively short period of time depending on the severity of the phobia as well as the cooperation of the person suffering from the phobia.




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